School MattersCommonwealth Secondary School vs Yishun Town Secondary School
Compare recorded PSLE entry ranges, CCAs, DSA programmes and location, with intake years shown alongside the data.
At a glance
| Compare | Commonwealth Secondary School | Yishun Town Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| School type | Co-Ed School | Co-Ed School |
| Level | Secondary (S1-S4) | Secondary (S1-S4) |
| School tags | Autonomous | Autonomous |
| Zone | West | North |
| Address | 698 West Coast Road | 6 Yishun Street 21 |
| Nearest MRT | Jurong East, Clementi | Yishun |
| Listed CCAs | 20 | 18 |
| DSA listings | 13 | 8 |
Differences to explore
- CCA
- The records share 5 CCA listings. Commonwealth Secondary School also lists Badminton (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Boys), Broadcasting (Girls and Boys), Cross Country (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Yishun Town Secondary School also lists Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Girls and Boys), Bowling (Girls and Boys), Boys' Brigade (Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Listings may be incomplete; confirm availability with each school.
- DSA programme
- The records share 1 DSA programme listing. Commonwealth Secondary School also lists Badminton (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Boys), Choir (Girls and Boys), Coding (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Yishun Town Secondary School also lists Basketball (Girls and Boys), Bilingualism (Girls and Boys), Bowling (Girls and Boys), Chinese Dance (Girls) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Listings may be incomplete; confirm availability with each school.
- The daily journey
- Nearby MRT stations listed for Commonwealth Secondary School: Jurong East, Clementi; for Yishun Town Secondary School: Yishun. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.
Recorded entry ranges
| Compare | Commonwealth Secondary School | Yishun Town Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| PG3 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 8–13 | 2026 · 5–13 |
| PG2 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 21–23 | 2026 · 21–22 |
| PG1 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 25–28 | 2026 · 25–27 |
Each range belongs to the intake year and programme shown. Affiliated and non-affiliated ranges are separate. D, M and P are Higher Mother Tongue requirements. Past ranges do not guarantee admission.
Get to know each school
Commonwealth Secondary School
Commonwealth Secondary began in 1964 as Tanglin Integrated Vocational Secondary School. It became Tanglin Secondary in 1969 and Commonwealth Secondary in 1972, commemorating the previous year's Commonwealth heads-of-government meeting in Singapore. It moved through two Jurong East campuses before reaching West Coast Road in 2006. Autonomous status dates to 1995, followed by recognised environmental-education and design-and-innovation centres in 2008 and 2016. This history helps explain its current mix of practical making, environmental learning and performing arts.
The eco-stewardship curriculum describes Geography water-quality investigations in the stream and wetland, Science farm-to-table work, and hydroponic design in Craft and Technology. Campus spaces include a rainforest, marine aquarium, plant nursery and indoor and outdoor farms. These are concrete learning settings; the pages do not give a fixed fieldwork allocation for every cohort. CCA projects also link sustainability with community partners and causes such as responsible consumption or animal welfare. Parents can ask how often students use these spaces within ordinary lessons.
Yishun Town Secondary School
MOE records Yishun Town Secondary’s establishment in January 1986 with nine classes and 13 pioneer teachers. It first shared premises with Yishun Secondary, then moved to Yishun Street 21 on 31 March 1988 and officially opened on 29 July that year. It became single-session in 1998 and gained autonomous status in 2010. The distinction matters when searching: Yishun Secondary has its own history and programmes. Older references to shared premises should not cause accounts of one school to be assigned to the other, and autonomous status is not an individual outcome guarantee.
The science page describes learning journeys and a Sagano High exchange, with deeper competitions and project investigation through talent development for interested pupils. Its concrete examples are dated: selected pupils received A*STAR scientist mentorship in 2021; Secondary 2 workshops in 2022 covered 3D design and printing, perfume and cosmetic making. These show past practice, not a promise of the same mentor, destination or workshop for the next cohort. A prospective family can ask what the current common experience includes and how access to deeper research or Olympiad preparation is decided.
CCAs and programmes
Commonwealth Secondary School
- Badminton (Girls and Boys)
- Basketball (Boys)
- Broadcasting (Girls and Boys)
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- Cross Country (Girls and Boys)
- Dragon Boat (Boys)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Environmental Science (Girls and Boys)
- Football (Boys)
- Girl Guides (Girls)
- Indian Dance (Girls)
- Infocomm Technology (Media Production) (Girls and Boys)
- Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
- National Cadet Corps (NCC) (Land) (Boys)
- National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) (Girls and Boys)
- Netball (Girls)
- Percussion Ensemble (Girls and Boys)
- Red Cross Youth (Girls and Boys)
- Robotics (Girls and Boys)
Yishun Town Secondary School
- Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys)
- Basketball (Girls and Boys)
- Bowling (Girls and Boys)
- Boys' Brigade (Boys)
- Chinese Dance (Girls)
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Environmental Science (Boys)
- Girl Guides (Girls)
- Infocomm Technology (Computing) (Girls and Boys)
- International Chess (Girls and Boys)
- National Civil Defence Cadet Corps (NCDCC) (Girls and Boys)
- National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) (Girls and Boys)
- Photography (Girls and Boys)
- Shooting (Girls and Boys)
- Table Tennis (Girls and Boys)
- Volleyball (Girls)
Listed DSA programmes at Commonwealth Secondary School
- Badminton (Girls and Boys)
- Basketball (Boys)
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- Coding (Girls and Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- Cross Country (Girls and Boys)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Environmental Science (Girls and Boys)
- Football (Boys)
- Indian Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Netball (Girls)
- Tamil Language (Girls and Boys)
Listed DSA programmes at Yishun Town Secondary School
- Basketball (Girls and Boys)
- Bilingualism (Girls and Boys)
- Bowling (Girls and Boys)
- Chinese Dance (Girls)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Shooting (Girls and Boys)
- Table Tennis (Girls and Boys)
- Volleyball (Girls)
Questions about these schools
How should I choose between Commonwealth Secondary School and Yishun Town Secondary School?
Start with programmes, the CCAs your child wants and the actual journey from home. Visit both schools to assess the daily environment. Counts and past results alone do not establish which school fits your child.
How do their recorded PSLE entry ranges compare?
PG3 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 8–13; Yishun Town Secondary School 2026 · 5–13. PG2 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 21–23; Yishun Town Secondary School 2026 · 21–22. PG1 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 25–28; Yishun Town Secondary School 2026 · 25–27.
Do past admission records guarantee a place?
No. Ranges belong to the intake year and programme shown and can change. Keep affiliated and non-affiliated ranges separate and retain any D, M or P Higher Mother Tongue suffix.